Tommy [Audio clip: view full post to listen] Revival Revival vs Primus mp3 download, ipod format download Vocals by Barbara Singer. Samples and programming by me. The guitar licks were originally played by Alex Torovic but have been chopped up pretty dramatically. This is part of our ongoing strategy, learned from hip-hop, of taking a [...]
A big part of what makes the blues sound like the blues is blue notes. Most other American vernacular music uses blue notes too: jazz, funk, rock, country, gospel, folk and so on. In the video below, John Lee Hooker hits a blue note in just about every single guitar phrase. For such a foundational [...]
Following up and expanding on a post about learning music theory with Auto-tune. So maybe you want to write a song or an instrumental in a particular mood or style, and you’re feeling overwhelmed by all the scales. Here’s a handy guide to the commonly used scales in western pop, rock, jazz, blues and so [...]
Friday, February 26, 2010
The vast majority of music that I hear is recorded, and if you’re reading this the same is probably true of you. Most people don’t have a clear idea what the recording process is like, especially using computers. Here are my adventures in recording. I grew up in the eighties. Cassette recorders were just starting [...]
Filed in hardware, music, software
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Also tagged analog, audio, audio editing, book, computers, electronica, hip-hop, improvisation, looping, mashups, music, pro tools, recording, remixes, revival revival, sampling, sequencing, synths, tape, tape editing, visualization
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Thursday, February 11, 2010
When I was younger I was obsessed with authenticity in music. I wouldn’t even play electric guitar because it felt too easy, like cheating somehow. I expended a lot of energy and attention trying to figure out what is and isn’t authentic. Now, at the age of 34, I’ve officially given up. I doubt there’s [...]
Filed in autobio, music
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Also tagged acoustic, alicia keys, authenticity, bebop, big chill, bill monroe, bluegrass, blues, book, coltrane, electronica, emotion, harmonica, herbie hancock, howlin wolf, jay-z, jazz, judaica, klezmer, led zeppelin, lipsynching, michael jackson, motown, nyc, purists, rnb, sampling, soul, synths, thelonious monk
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Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Here’s a live rendition of Imogen Heap’s song “Hide And Seek.” It’s introduced by Zach Braff, but don’t let that dissuade you from watching.
Filed in music
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Also tagged authenticity, book, brian eno, electronica, harmony, imogen heap, improvisation, interface, keybs, midi, music, pop, remixes, sampling, synths
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Thursday, December 3, 2009
Boys And Dance Floors [Audio clip: view full post to listen] Revival Revival vs Janet Jackson mp3 download, ipod format download Right-click or option click the links to save the track to your computer. There are as many different ways of writing songs as there are songwriters. Barbara Singer and I have arrived at a [...]
Filed in autobio, music, software
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Also tagged composing, improvisation, janet jackson, looping, pro tools, production, reason, recording, remixes, revival revival, sampling, songwriting
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Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Ohhh What A Feelin’ [Audio clip: view full post to listen] Revival Revival vs Lionel Richie vs Michael Jackson mp3 download, ipod format download Vocals, guitar and bass by Babsy. Beats, loops and production by me. The beat is from “Billie Jean.” We love this song. Here’s the original.
Filed in music
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Also tagged billie jean, dance, eighties, guitar, lionel richie, michael jackson, pop, remixes, revival revival, rock, sampling, typography
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Saturday, October 3, 2009
Okay, so we’ve all firmly established that he’s not exactly Mr Personality. President Obama called him a jackass. Even before he disrupted the MTV awards, a lot of my friends disliked him intensely. This dislike crosses racial, class and gender boundaries. And yet, I like Kanye’s music better than just about anything that anyone is [...]
Filed in music
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Also tagged depression, drum machines, electronica, emotion, hip-hop, kanye west, lil wayne, masculinity, pop, posthuman, remixes, t-pain, taylor swift
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Friday, September 25, 2009
Not much context to offer on this except that I saw it on Wayne Marshall’s Twitter, it has Carl Sagan and Stephen Hawking, and it’s beyond delightful.
Filed in music, science
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Also tagged carl sagan, cosmology, electronica, meditation, nerds, physics, remixes, sampling, science, space, stephen hawking, video
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